Verizon's Tiered Data Plans: Expensive

[tatteredpotato]

I still find it outrageous companies tack on a tethering charge to tiered data plans.

 

[alent1234]

I still find it outrageous companies tack on a tethering charge to tiered data plans.

the way business works in the 21st century is your base product is sold at cost or small profit and most profits are made on upgrades/accessories that carry 1000% margins but only a few people buy them

used to be texting but now it's going to be tethering and data overages as apple introduces their BBM clone and google will follow

and the wireless carriers learned their lesson with the ISP's having all their bandwidth used up by p2p, malware and video

 

[Ns1]

Question: if you had a phone with built-in hotspotting (i.e. Iphone4) do you still need to buy tethering?

 

[Suspicious-Teach8788]

i believe it's just how US carriers screw over idiotic consumers.

the UK carriers already ditched tethering charges. I believe O2 and Vodafone have already done it.

I was in Taiwan this past month and my friends with iPhone 4s just offered to tether me so I could leech data from time to time. It's ridiculous that it's all included.

To me data is data, but traditionally the US carriers have tried to screw people over with navigation services, and now tethering. Those are phone features that you shouldn't be paying the carrier for.

 

[zerocool84]

Question: if you had a phone with built-in hotspotting (i.e. Iphone4) do you still need to buy tethering?

They said it's free until a date next month which I forget what it is, after that yes you will have to pay.

 

[Adramalech]

They said it's free until a date next month which I forget what it is, after that yes you will have to pay.

iPhone 4 users have to pay an extra $20 for tethering unless they jailbreak. This is ridiculous. I think we have great phones in the US, but carriers are screwing us left and right.

 

[lupi]

Stuff like this is why the fcc should not even consider the att tmo merger

 

[Fire&Blood]

T-Mobile is the only carrier without a tethering charge and they throttle you rather than charge overage fees on their smartphone plans. Compared to AT&T's HSPA+ and Sprint's WIMAX, T-Mobile's network is very competitive, in urban areas, at least.

However, if T-Mobile is gone, Sprint will be gone as well and AT&T and Verizon will have even more fine print traps and restrictions in place, there will be new LTE rules. Any new services that come to the market will come at a steeper cost the less carriers we have "competing".

 

[Compddd]

What about the Verizon family data plans?

 

[KentState]

Might not have the best phones, but at least my gf and I locked into 4G plans before this goes live. Curious to see if they can do something about PDANet and similar programs that allow tethering.

 

[disports]

So ridiculously expensive, gotta get in before then! Currently using a Samsung Convoy flip phone ><

 

[ImDonly1]

the way business works in the 21st century is your base product is sold at cost or small profit and most profits are made on upgrades/accessories that carry 1000% margins but only a few people buy them

used to be texting but now it's going to be tethering and data overages as apple introduces their BBM clone and google will follow

and the wireless carriers learned their lesson with the ISP's having all their bandwidth used up by p2p, malware and video

Texting is still pricey.

 

[Bateluer]

and the wireless carriers learned their lesson with the ISP's having all their bandwidth used up by p2p, malware and video

P2P and video aren't illegal services. Netflix is the number 1 bandwidth using service now, and its 100&#37; legal. Wireless carriers would rather you use their services, such as they are, than a competitor's. P2P is also perfectly legal.

Malware is a problem that plagues everyone, wired and wireless, but its usually no the fault of the providers.

Bottom line is that these plans are just designed to bilk the consumer out of more money while giving them less 'service'.


Edit - Anyone notice that Market movie rentals for the Xoom are(is?) going live very soon?

 

[Pliablemoose]

I would like to confess that I've used 110GB's this month so far, so I'm entirely to blame for abusing verizon's network and their high prices...

 

[boomhower]

I would like to confess that I've used 110GB's this month so far, so I'm entirely to blame for abusing verizon's network and their high prices...

WTF?!?!? I've hit 40GB's without tethering but I've been trying very hard so Sprint will get rid of me. If they don't at the end of this month I'll give up and just stay. 2GB's for $30 is flat out robbery. The only saving grace is if these packages can be spread across a family plan. $50 for 5GB's for me and my wife to share is crappy but livable and actually would save some money. But considering it would Verizon won't do it. Since Verizon got the iPhone they have just gotten drunk with power. $350 ETF's and now flat out robbery on data charges and text charges. What's it going to take to get them to do something? Oh they won't ever do anything considering they are just going to rubber stamp the AT&T-T-Mobile merger which will make things even worse. I can see Sprint actually gaining a lot of customers in the future.

 

[Anubis]

the fuck are you 2 doing to use that much data?

FFS id be hard pressed to use 110GB on my cable connection if i tried

 

[Pliablemoose]

I killed my Sprint plan yesterday, got cable internets this week so V won't boot me...

 

[shortylickens]

I'd actually be OK with that if I could spend 10 bucks on a limited voice plan, like 50 minutes.

 

[Anubis]

I'd actually be OK with that if I could spend 10 bucks on a limited voice plan, like 50 minutes.

i agree. last time they called me and tried to get me to change my plan i had them look up my avg minutes used. they did NOT think my idea of dropping me to a 100 min a month plan and charging me less was as good of an idea as i did

im currently still on the now non-existent 300 min/month plan

 

[Bateluer]

I would like to confess that I've used 110GB's this month so far, so I'm entirely to blame for abusing verizon's network and their high prices...

What the heck did you do to use 110GB of data?!

 

[MotF Bane]

Used 220MB at 25 days into the cycle.

Gotta step it up.

 

[MotF Bane]

What the heck did you do to use 110GB of data?!

Also, this. I'd like to know how much I use on my desktop computer, it's probably on that same range... but that's for a desktop!

 

[Spoooon]

Okay, so I am eligible to upgrade with a discount on July 15th.

Basically, if I renew and get a new phone, will I end up stuck with tiered data?

Ugh, I'm not exactly thrilled with the options, but I really want unlimited 4g. I've been averaging about 2.5GB per month and just don't want to worry about it.

 

[Doboji]

I think this one will work itself out... with the higher data speeds people will be blowing past the tiers in no time. Which will cause cost of data services to skyrocket... which will provide a nice opportunity for a carrier to pickup customers by making the tiers cheaper... or even doing unlimited again. Which will then force the big carriers to adjust as well...

 

[Dulanic]

I think this one will work itself out... with the higher data speeds people will be blowing past the tiers in no time. Which will cause cost of data services to skyrocket... which will provide a nice opportunity for a carrier to pickup customers by making the tiers cheaper... or even doing unlimited again. Which will then force the big carriers to adjust as well...

I'll give you $20 if a NEW post pay national carrier ever comes around and offers better value. It isn't going to happen. Keep this thread bookmarked cause I will... but it will never happen. The only new things we will see is more prepaid carriers like Boost, Virgin etc because consumers are getting sick of the national carriers bullshit.